All the reviews you guys leave are a wonderful thing, and are a large part of my motivation to keep writing. I hate that I make you guys wait though, but it's always good to finish them at least. Appreciate all the continued support.

The Witching Hour

Chapter 3: Fork in the Road

JJ swiped at her eyes to rid the sleep from them. It was nearly three in the morning and most people would be asleep; but then, they weren't most people. They were the people whom made sure that the other people could sleep at night.

Through the distance she could already make the mixture of the familiar red and blue lights crashing together in the sky. The police tape was already placed to prevent non-authority personnel from entering the area.

The SUV came into a stop and she descended from the vehicle. A chill ran through her body and she was sure it had nothing to do with the drop in temperature. Just a few feet away she could make out the body under the tarp.

Chief Adams turned to them. "There's no doubt about it, this is Tori Jenkins."

Hotch approached the body and carefully removed the tarp. "Bullet to the head, same as the others."

Reid crouched down by the paramedic currently examining the body. "Um excuse me, those marks around her body, are they signs of malnutrition?"

"The cause of death is clearly evident; she took one bullet to the skull. But she was definitely suffering during her time of entrapment. As you can see the body shows clear signs of malnutrition as well as signs of dehydration."

Will stared grimly at the body. He looked upwards when he noticed her parents grieving over the loss of their only child. His hands clenched at the sight. A hand came to rest on his arm and his gaze fell towards his partner.

"Will?" Navas said through concerned eyes.

He smiled softly and patted her hand. "I'm good Rose, don't worry."

Unbeknownst to him JJ had caught the small interaction. Ever since she'd arrived she'd been curious of their relationship; and for the life of her she had no idea why. Against her better judgment she had been keeping tabs on the two. The way he spoke to her with a nickname and not her title and the way she would smile at him gave her an impression that didn't sit right with her.

It was as if they had something deeper than just a partner relationship. And JJ found that it truly frightened her by how much the realization of that revelation bothered her.

Because surely she wasn't regretting things right? And surely she was far from feeling envious, right?

"JJ?"

She quickly turned to where Emily was. "Sorry, did you say something?"

"I was just wondering if you were alright. You seemed like you were in space for a moment."

"Yeah I was just... thinking." It made JJ feel sick by the way she was acting during a case. It wasn't how a profiler should be behaving.

Emily nodded. "Right." She could easily deduce that there was something bothering her friend but she wouldn't force her to explain. "Just know that you can talk to me whenever."

For now Emily would just be a friend and be there for her.

JJ smiled. "Thanks."

"Guys," Reid called out. "We're heading back to the station."

"I hope they prepared the coffee." Emily groaned while heading to the SUV.

Back in the office the team had settled into the work space area provided by Chief Adams.

Morgan entered the room alongside Rossi holding the coffees the team desperately needed late in the night.

"Anything on the tip hotline?" Rossi asked.

Emily shook her head in response. "Nada."

"There's never any sexual assault on the women he kills," JJ pointed out. "A guy like this, an alpha male, normally wouldn't avoid the chance to show his dominance over the women, yet he doesn't. It's almost as if he's disgusted by them, like he doesn't even want to touch them."

"It's a complete contradiction to his signature though," Rossi replied. "I'm also a bit thrown off at the fact that he doesn't rape the women. The condom he leaves shows clear signs of his views."

"So why are these women so different is what the million dollar question is." Emily added.

"And for that matter, why exactly brunettes?" JJ asked.

"This dude is definitely one complicated unsub." Morgan grumbled. "And it doesn't help us one bit that hardly anything was salvaged during this guy's time in Colorado."

"He must have some connection to New Orleans." Reid deduced. "After all, they're pretty far from each other."

"Reid's right, it can't be coincidence that he chose New Orleans as his new target zone." Hotch agreed. "Something must've brought him back here."

"And since I don't exactly see this guy as a plane traveler I'm assuming he must own a car." Rossi stated. "Maybe a van or a truck; anything that can carry a body from one place to another."

... ... …. …. ... ... ... …. …. ... ... ... ….

"I just don't get it at all Rose." Will said with a frown. The two we're currently in their own work area. "What's so special about brunette women to this guy?"

Navas took a sip of her coffee before placing it back down. "Could've been a sister, a mother, or a cousin, an aunt, a friend, there's just too many endless possibilities. It's just nerve wrecking having no leads."

Will angrily ran a hand through his hair in frustration. "I just can't seem to concentrate."

She eyed him briefly before speaking. "Does it have something to do with Agent Jareau?"

At this he glanced up at her. "What?"

"I noticed the tension in the air. Are you okay? I mean you two use to go out right?"

Will shrugged. "That was ages ago." He then hardened his face. "And her presence is the last thing on my mind right now, Rose."

"Right. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have pried like that."

"It's alright." He smiled. "I should've known you'd ask after all I'm the one who told you about us in the first place. Don't worry, I'll be fine."

Navas nodded but she wasn't fully convinced. She knew how strong Will had felt about Agent Jareau. And one doesn't simply get rid of those feelings overnight. For now she'd remain by his side and that was something she hoped would never diminish between them.

"Hey guys?" Called one of the officers as he poked his head through the door.

"What's up Walter?" Will asked.

"I got a young lady here saying she may have some information. Says she was a friend of Tori Jenkins."

Navas shared a quick glance with Will before the two headed out the office. Outside already were Agent Jareau and Agent Prentiss. And standing in front was a college-aged woman.

"What do we got ladies?" Will questioned once they'd reached them.

"We were just getting to that part." Emily replied and turned back to the woman. "Now Jenna, is there something you know that can help us find out who did this to your friend?"

"Me and Tori weren't huge friends but we hung out occasionally. I liked her, and now she's..." Jenna paused at the painful reminder. "When I last saw her it was when I was heading home. Class had ended and I was heading to the parking lot and I saw Tori there. At first I thought it was weird since she always walks home but then I noticed she was with someone."

JJ furrowed her brows. "Did you get a look at the person?"

"Well I couldn't get a good look at him since his back was to me but he was a white guy, looked pretty young like our age, and uh had short hair."

"Did you recognize him? Have you seen him near Tori before?" Emily asked.

"Tori was never really an overly social person; she only hung out with her own little group, but..."

The hesitation and change in attitude didn't escape the agents present.

"But what?" JJ encouraged her to continue.

Jenna rubbed her arm nervously. "Don't tell her parents because they didn't know... Tori was doing marijuana."

It didn't take them long to put two and two together.

"She'd always get invited to do that with other group of students or would even join in herself." The young student added.

"Did you see where they took off?" Navas asked.

"The guy got inside the back of some van with her and as soon as they did the car took off."

"A van?" Will repeated. "What kind?"

"I don't exactly know my cars but it was a big white van, kind of old looking too. That's all I saw before I went home." Jenna answered before lowering her eyes sadly. "I should've called her... done something. Maybe then..."

Navas placed a hand on her shoulder. "This isn't your fault. In fact what you've just told us will serve a great deal in helping us stop this person."

The girl smiled weakly in return. "I hope so."

... ... …. …. ... ... ... …. …. ... ... ... ….

Hotch stared upwards from the files when the agents entered.

"Any luck with the girl?" Rossi asked.

"She says that Tori was a marijuana addict," Emily answered. "It's possible he used it as a ruse to lure Tori into his vehicle."

"So he does own a vehicle." Morgan stated with a nod. "Did she get a look at it?"

"White van." Will said and chuckled slightly at their 'That's it?' expressions. "Wasn't much of a car person apparently; she did say it was pretty old looking."

"The thing that didn't make sense to me was that Jenna mentioned that the guy talking to Tori was about their age," JJ pointed out. "I'm assuming he must've been around the ages of twenty-two and twenty-five, but... it doesn't add up."

"The killings started around October 2010 and lasted all the way up to almost the end of 2011, in mid December. He was also meticulous enough to plan his moves so as to avoid any unwanted attention." Rossi added.

"This means that the guy Jenna mentioned would've to be around the age of nineteen and twenty-two." Emily finished with a frown.

"Call me crazy but I don't think a kid of that age has the knowledge to discreetly kidnap nine women and avoid the police." Navas stated.

JJ furrowed her brows. "Jenna also said the car took off as soon as he'd lured her into the back of the van, which means..."

"He has a partner." Hotch finished with narrowed eyes.

Author's Notes

Again, sorry about this being late and all. I'm trying to get back on track with this stuff. Really sorry for the late update I just had to deal with... er, well with life I guess. I'll try my best to get it in gear.